Titans Sweep Alexandria Cross Country Championships

T. C. Williams High School produced two individual champions and clinched the team title in each of the four races at the 2017 Joe Halm Memorial Alexandria City Cross Country Championships on Oct. 4. Episcopal High School claimed the boys’ varsity champion and Bishop Ireton the girls’ junior varsity champion.

The annual competition among the four Alexandria high schools – Bishop Ireton, Episcopal, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, and T. C. Williams – was renamed in honor of Joe Halm, the long-time head coach of Episcopal’s cross country team who passed away unexpectedly in 2014. Joe’s wife Joey, oldest daughter Abby and son Mac presented the awards at the end of the event, which was held at EHS.

The boys’ varsity race was won by Episcopal sophomore Tre Simmons with a time of 17:14 followed closely by T. C. senior Yonael Tekleberhan in 17:21 for second place. T. C. freshman Yeabsera Shire finished third with classmate Eyasu Belaye close behind in fourth place. EHS junior Ben Korkowski placed fifth followed by two Bishop Ireton runners – senior Will Olson in sixth place and Luciano Mateo in seventh. Episcopal freshman Zedekiah Williams finished in eighth place just ahead of T. C. junior Liam Davis-Wallace in ninth and T. C. sophomore Victor Vassallo in tenth place to round out the top ten finishers for All-City honors.

In the boys’ JV race, the T. C. Titans and BI Cardinals dominated the field from the start. T. C. Williams freshman Ziyad Hassan captured the JV championship title with a time of 19:22 followed by classmate Sebastian Ballestero as runner-up in 19:42. Two more Titans crossed the finish line in quick succession – junior Mark Bailey in third place and senior Justin Nickelsburg in fourth – ahead of Bishop Ireton junior Carter Brown in fifth and BI sophomore Peter Gaietto in sixth. T. C. senior John Anderson edged out Ireton sophomore Jonah Smith for seventh place. Two more Titans followed – freshman Ronan Lauinger in ninth and eighth-grader Jason Dresen in tenth – to round out the top ten finishers for All-City honors.

The complete results of each race in the 2017 Alexandria City Cross Country Championships can be found on the RunWashington website.

T.C. Williams Cross Country team (Photo: Katie Smythe)

This event is all about team titles and the bragging rights that go along with the annual competition between cross-town rivals. At the end of the day when the scores were tallied, T. C. Williams finished on top (lowest score) in all four races to repeat as team champions. In 2016, the Titans swept all four races. The team standings follow for each race in the 2017 championship.

This makes the seventh consecutive year for the T. C. varsity boys’ team to claim the title (2011-2017). According to T. C. Williams head coach Michael Hughes, in the 24-year history of this meet, the Titans have now won across-the-board team titles for boys and girls on six occasions – in 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013 plus 2011 and previously in 1995.

The teams from each of the four schools will be competing in several more invitational meets and other competitions before their respective league championships later this month. Check the school websites for schedules.